72nd National Film Award
Santhali director bags best debut Film director award
Parvinder Bhatia
Jamshedpur
Jharkhand’s cinematic landscape has received a major boost with Santhali filmmaker Ravi Raj Murmu winning the 72nd National Film Award for Best Debut Film Director for his acclaimed film ‘Angen’. The achievement has brought national recognition to Santhali cinema and has been hailed as a landmark moment for the state’s indigenous culture and creative talent.
Murmu, a former student of Karim City College’s Department of Mass Communication and Video Production, has earned widespread appreciation for presenting the richness of Santhali language, folklore, and cultural heritage through his debut feature.
Angen has been widely appreciated for its authentic portrayal of Santhali traditions and storytelling. The film showcases indigenous folklore through a visually compelling narrative, bringing one of India’s oldest tribal cultures to a national audience.
The National Film Award is considered one of the country’s highest honours in cinema, making Murmu’s achievement a significant milestone not only for him personally but also for the growth of regional and indigenous filmmaking in Jharkhand.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren extended his heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Ravi Raj Murmu on receiving the prestigious honour.
Congratulating the young filmmaker, the Chief Minister said the award was a matter of immense pride for the people of Jharkhand and the entire Santhali-speaking community.
“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Shri Ravi Raj Murmu on this remarkable achievement. Winning the prestigious National Film Award is not only a personal milestone for him but also a matter of immense pride for the people of Jharkhand and the entire Santhali-speaking community. Through Angen, he has showcased the richness of Santhali language, culture and storytelling on the national stage.”
The Chief Minister said the honour reflects the immense creative potential emerging from Jharkhand and strengthens the state’s identity as a vibrant centre of indigenous art, culture and cinema.
He noted that the success of Angen demonstrates how regional languages and local stories can achieve national recognition while preserving the cultural identity of tribal communities.
Hemant Soren expressed confidence that Ravi Raj Murmu’s achievement would inspire aspiring filmmakers, writers and artists across Jharkhand to document and preserve the state’s rich cultural traditions through meaningful cinema.
He wished the filmmaker continued success in his future creative journey and expressed hope that Murmu would continue bringing laurels to both Jharkhand and the nation through his contributions to Indian cinema.
The achievement has also brought pride to Karim City College, where Ravi Raj Murmu studied Mass Communication and Video Production before embarking on his filmmaking career.
His journey from a journalism and media student in Jamshedpur to a National Award-winning filmmaker is being viewed as an inspiring example for students aspiring to build careers in cinema, media and visual storytelling.With Angen earning one of Indian cinema’s highest honours, the spotlight has firmly shifted to Santhali filmmaking, highlighting the growing recognition of indigenous voices and regional narratives on the national stage.
